The Famous Five, a reflection
by aims80
Summary: **COMPLETED** A school assignment years back, but I found it interesting since it brought back memories. Please R&R.
1. Dick recieves an invitation

Authors note: This story is actually a school assignment I had in year seven or eight (so back in 1992 or 1993?), however I found it interesting when I was looking through a bunch of disks the other day. The assignment was fairly standard; take a character/s from a novel/novels and write about either events in the books, or reflecting on events from their perspective. Luckily for me there was no word limit since I wrote five (I think?!) chapters! For some reason I actually couldn't come up with a novel I wanted to write about, and I was looking in the bookshelf and I saw all the Famous Five novels sitting there, and they immediately became my targets. I don't know about you, but when I read the series when I was younger I used to wish I could have adventures like them! They lived such an exciting life, and mine was so boring! *Sigh* Anyway whilst this is an old school assignment like I said, I thought it would be interesting to get some feedback, just in case there is anyone else on here who remembers what it was like reading The Famous Five when they were younger, and wishing they lived the same exciting life as the Five did.  
  
  
  
Chapter One:  
  
Dick receives an invitation.  
  
"Wasn't today gorgeous? And I was stuck in the office all day!" Dick asked as he came through the front door of his modest London apartment. He was 25, but he didn't look a day over 20. With his black hair, and laughing eyes he was definitely handsome.  
  
"Well you would chose to be a lawyer." His wife, Jessica, replied, but she looked at him fondly. They'd been married almost three years, and as far as she was concerned they were the best three years of her life. Dick had a knack for making her laugh, and making her forget her problems. No matter how tired he was from work, he always had the energy to realise she was feeling down and make her smile. Unlike him she wasn't used to the city life, she was country born and bred, but she'd made the sacrifice of moving to the city when they married. Sometimes she would glance out of the apartment window and see nothing but city, and long for the wide open pastures of her hometown.  
  
"Don't remind me." Dick replied. "Hey, I was speaking to Ju today; would you believe it's James' second birthday next month? Time flies doesn't it?"  
  
  
  
"It does." Jessica agreed. "Do you know it's been almost a year since we went back to visit my parents? I don't suppose you've got any time off coming up?"  
  
"Not really, not more than a day or two at the most." Dick replied, sitting down on the couch and loosening his tie. "Anyway, Julian was telling me that he ran into a boy we went to school with, Sooty-"  
  
"Sorry, did you say Sooty? What kind of name is that for someone?" Jessica asked, going into the kitchenette and trying to decide what to make for dinner.  
  
"It's a good name when you're real name is Pierre!" Dick replied with a grin. "And if you met him you'd realise-he's very dark. We actually had an interesting adventure with him once-"  
  
"Adventures." Muttered his wife, with a grin as she rummaged in the fridge and decided to make something simple like pasta. "You and those adventures."  
  
"We stayed at his place once, it was called Smugglers Top!" Dick said, choosing to ignore her comment. "It was actually at the top of this island separated from the land by marsh so thick that many people had been simply sucked down into it. His father was a very fierce man, much like Uncle Quentin, and also a scientist. And he hated dogs, and so we had to hide old Timmy from him. It was such a laugh getting Timmy out for a walk, luckily the place had secret passages so we managed. And there was this man, a real live smuggler, named Barling, and one night Sooty came and woke Julian and I up because someone was signaling from the tower of the house! Anyway it turned out Barling was involved, along with Sooty's father's servant, Block, who was pretending to be deaf! And they kidnapped Uncle Quentin and Sooty, and we all had an adventure down in the catacombs in the hills underneath the house!" Dick finished, breathless.  
  
"I don't know how you can stand the boring life of a lawyer." Jessica replied, hiding a smile. She'd heard all about the adventures that Dick, his older brother Julian, younger sister Anne, and cousin George had been in over the years when they were children. In fact she'd heard most of them countless times, but knowing how Dick felt about them she never bothered to remind him she'd heard them before. But she hadn't remembered the name Sooty, at least not until Dick had started speaking!  
  
"I don't know either. Sometimes I'd love a nice juicy adventure.." Dick replied with a sigh. "But after the adventure with the circus and all at Tinker's place we didn't have another one. No matter how hard we looked.."  
  
"Maybe you only have adventures when you're younger?" Jessica suggested. "Is canned sauce alright for the pasta? I didn't have time to do any real sauce today since I worked this morning, and then I went shopping to see about those new couches."  
  
"Canned is fine. I don't suppose we have one of those gorg breads to go with it? And maybe some tomatoes? I love tomatoes! Or radishes? They go so well with bread. And I could duck out to the store to get some peaches and we could have ice-cream and peaches for desert." Dick said. Some things never change, and Dick's appetite certainly hadn't.  
  
Jessica rolled her eyes. "Isn't pasta enough?" She asked.  
  
Dick sighed. "I guess so.we used to have some of the best meals when we were kids, when we were on adventures. Weird combinations of course, but they always seemed to us the best meals ever."  
  
Jessica frowned slightly. "Dick, what's with all the reminiscing?" She asked.  
  
"It was just, well when I was speaking to Julian I realised it's been a few years since we were all together. With both him and I busy working here, and Anne up in Scotland at University, and George in Kirrin and all.." He trailed off.  
  
"Oh!" Jessica suddenly said. "There's a letter for you on the table. It looks kind of formal."  
  
Dick went over to the table and opened the letter. "Dear Dick and Jessica" He read out loud. "Quentin and Fanny request your presence at the wedding of their daughter, Georgina, to Larry on Saturday July 17th!"  
  
"George is getting married?" Jessica asked. "Wasn't she the one who said, at our wedding I believe, that she was planning on simply living on her island with her dog?"  
  
Dick laughed. "Well she's been saying that since we were kids. But fancy this, old George getting married! Well we must go to the wedding!"  
  
"Of course." Jessica said, putting a pot of water on the stove. "We couldn't miss it."  
  
The telephone started to ring, and Dick, who was nearest to it, picked it up.  
  
"Hi mother, how are you?" He asked.  
  
"Good, did you get the invitation?"  
  
"Yes, we got it today. We'll be going of course. It'll be great to see George again." Dick replied.  
  
"Can you see Fanny trying to get her into a wedding dress?" His mother asked.  
  
Dick snorted. "It'll be a battle alright. But at least she's grown out of that being a boy stage-sort of.."  
  
His mother laughed. "I imagine you'll all spend hours at the wedding talking about those awful adventures of yours! When you all get together it's like listening to Sherlock and Dr. Watson.."  
  
Dick laughed, embarrassed. "Sorry Mother, but we can't help it! If you ask me no other kid in England had as much fun as we did. Remember that time you let us go off with the caravans?"  
  
"Against our better judgment. Your father and I were always worried that one day we wouldn't get a postcard.and had we known you had the intention of following the circus we might not have agreed!" His mother replied.  
  
"Which is why we didn't tell you that? But honestly mother, how were we meant to know that Lou and Tiger Dan were thieves, and how were we meant to know that we put our caravans in the hollow where they stored their things underneath. And wasn't it lucky Pongo the chimpanzee was so smart? Or else we might still be trapped underground! I wonder sometimes how Noddy got on after that. It was lucky he was so good with the horses so he could stay with the circus though!"  
  
"You know I don't envy Jessica having to listen to this at the wedding." His mother said with a laugh.  
  
"Oh Jess doesn't mind!" Dick assured her, glancing at his wife. "I bet she wishes she'd had adventures like we did."  
  
"Not much." Jessica replied, hearing his last comment. She had been perfectly happy on the farm! But she knew that Dick had loved his adventures!  
  
"Anyway I better go mother. I want to run down to the store to get something for desert." Dick said, looking thoughtfully at Jessica.  
  
"Okay sweetie. We'll see you soon then-at George's wedding if not before." His mother replied.  
  
"No problems mother." Dick replied, hanging up.  
  
Jessica was stirring the canned sauce, looking out the window into the distance. Dick came up behind her, putting his arms around her. "Jess, you don't get sick of hearing about my adventures do you? Do I talk about them too much?"  
  
"You talk about them a lot Dick, but I know they made you very happy.." Jessica replied.  
  
"There was a but there, wasn't there?" Dick asked.  
  
"It's just I sometimes get the impression you'd rather be with your brother and sister, and cousin, having adventures, then being stuck here.." Jessica admitted.  
  
Dick sighed. "Do I give you that impression?" He asked. "I don't mean to you know. I'm old enough to know that it isn't going to happen, and to be honest if an adventure turned up now I'd say go away, I've got an important court case starting next week so I don't have time for you!"  
  
Jessica laughed. "Oh I don't know about that.." She said. "But it's nice to hear it anyway. And besides I think I probably talk about the farm as much as you talk about your adventures, don't I?"  
  
"Yeah, which reminds me, when I was on the phone to mother I was thinking, why don't we take a few weeks off before George's wedding and spend some time at your parents place on the way to Kirren?"  
  
Jessica threw her arms around her husband. "Thank you!" She said. "I know you're very busy so it's hard to find time to get away, but thanks!"  
  
"And tell you what? I'll not speak another word about adventures for the entire month!" Dick added.  
  
Jessica laughed. "Again I doubt that, but you know what? I don't mind hearing about your adventures. I think some of them are pretty exciting!"  
  
"Yeah, but you know what's exciting to me now?" Dick asked.  
  
"Work?" Jessica said making a face.  
  
"Hardly. No, you are..oh, and the thought of those peaches and ice-cream for desert!" Dick assured her. 


	2. George goes shopping for a dress

Chapter Two.  
  
George goes shopping for a dress.  
  
"I thought that last one was nice George." Said her mother, as they walked out of the shop.  
  
"It made me look like a tea cozy." George argued. "Oh it's no use mother, we'll never find something to suit me!"  
  
"Nonsense George. It's not like you to give up easily. In fact I seem to remember a very stubborn young girl!" Her mother said, fondly. "Like that time after you just started school and we got the tutor for you and the two boys-what was his name again?"  
  
"Mr. Roland." George said making a face.  
  
"That's right. And no matter what you weren't about to like him, or even be polite to him. Simply because he didn't like Timothy." Her mother shook her head, remembering the troubles she and her husband had gone through with their stubborn, headstrong young daughter.  
  
"Well I was right wasn't I?" George demanded. "I knew there was something strange about him, even before I caught him in Father's study at night. He said he had heard noises and came down to see what was going on but I didn't believe him. And then he pretended not to know the artists, and I was sure I'd seen him talking to them! And then Father's pages being stolen, and I knew it was him! So I got Julian to follow him and he came back and told me that he'd seen Mr. Roland giving something to the two artists. So then when we discovered the secret way we went over to Kirren Farm and searched their rooms and found Father's paper. And then we planted Timmy at the entrance to the secret way and they came to get the papers, and we put them in with Mr. Roland, and they knew they'd been caught. And you all thought I didn't like him only because he didn't like Timmy."  
  
"Well you have to admit you were..well..rather difficult when it came to that dog?" Her mother suggested.  
  
"I miss Timmy mother.." George said. It had been almost a year since the big dog had died, but even now George often woke in the night wondering where he was, and why he wasn't lying on her feet.  
  
"I know darling. We do too." Her mother assured her. "How about we get something to eat before we keep looking?"  
  
Seated in a café George took up the conversation where it had been left. "Without Timmy we would have been in trouble so many times!" She said. "He didn't care about guns! And then of course there were times when he lead us to safety when we were trapped, and that time in the lighthouse-which reminds me mother, did you get a RSVP off Tinker?"  
  
"Yes, he said he would be there. I do hope he doesn't have another monkey though!" Her mother replied, glad that George had changed the subject before she got onto the topic of everything Timmy had done.  
  
George grinned remembering the monkey, aptly named Mischief, and how much he had annoyed her Father. Of course that wasn't hard-the children had managed to do it on countless occasions. How many times had he come banging out of his study, demanding to know how he was meant to work with the noise? Of course, without wanting to, George's father had found himself caught up in the middle of the children's adventures on a few occasions. For instance there was the time he'd been kidnapped from Smugglers Top. And then the time the children had been camping in a field near Fayknights castle, and there was all the furore over two scientists selling out their secrets to another country, and her father had been furious to think that something like that could happen! Whilst looking at the castle through George's new field glasses one night, they had seen a face at the castle window. The next day they went to explore the castle, only to find it appeared that there was no way upstairs. They'd seen the face again though, and it was then that they realised the face looked like it belonged to one of the missing scientists. With the help of the circus folk camping nearby and of course Ragamuffin Jo, they'd rescued the scientist. Her father had been caught up in that-literally. He'd been tied up and put in a caravan by the circus folk, who thought he was a bad man!  
  
"We also had an RSVP from Billycock Hill-Toby said he is, quote, more than happy to see what fool is going to have to put up with you for the rest of his life, and he's getting leave from the airforce to be there!" She waited for George's familiar glare, but instead George laughed.  
  
"That sounds like him. And the airforce? He must have followed in the steps of Cousin Jeff? You remember hearing about him mother? When we camped at Billycock Hill we bought food and things from Toby's mother, since the boys knew him from school, and while we were there we met Jeff since he worked at the airfield nearby. Then one night during a storm we heard planes taking off, and we thought it was strange that they would be flying during the storm. And then we found out that the planes had been taken, and everyone thought Jeff was a traitor. Poor Toby, even though he used to tease me dreadfully, he was so miserable we felt sorry for him. He insisted that Jeff wasn't a traitor but it sure looked bad for him. And then we found him in the caves. Toby's little brother, Benny, had a pet piglet, and the piglet went wandering in the caves which was where they had hidden Jeff, and then we found him because of the piglet.." George said, smiling.  
  
"Are you ready to keep going?" Her mother asked.  
  
George sighed. "Sure.but mother I am beginning to think it might be best if I get married in jeans!"  
  
"Nonsense." Her mother replied. "What would Larry say?"  
  
"He'd probably think it was normal!" George said, but she followed her mother into another shop regardless.  
  
They walked into the shop, and suddenly George clutched at her mother's arm. "Mother, look at that dress.it's perfect..."  
  
"Oh George, it will look lovely on you!" Her mother said. 


	3. Julian does some packing

Chapter Three.  
  
Julian gets ready to go to the wedding.  
  
"Want to take teddy too!" Two year old James insisted.  
  
"There's not enough room for every toy you own." Julian replied exasperated, knowing it was useless to try to reason with a child that young.  
  
"TEDDY!" James said, screwing his face up.  
  
"Oh for heaven's sake.Take what you want!" Julian said tiredly, turning to leave the room. His wife, Anita, was leaning against the door, a smile on her face.  
  
"Now you know what I put up with every day." She said.  
  
"And I don't envy you one bit!" Julian assured her. "Dick was telling me at James' birthday party the other month that he wanted to have children soon- do you think we could give him this one?"  
  
His wife laughed, and hit him. "Lucky I know you're just kidding. Anyway, I happen to know that you were exactly the same as a child! Your mother and I were talking!"  
  
Julian rolled his eyes. "I can't win, can I?"  
  
"I don't know; I'd guess you've gotten pretty lucky in life." Anita replied, with a smile.  
  
Julian kissed her on the forehead. "You'd be right there."  
  
"I can't imagine George in a dress, can you?" Anita asked.  
  
"Not really, she was such a tomboy wasn't she?" Anita replied. When she and Julian had first started going out they were only fifteen, so she'd known George in her tomboy phase.  
  
"Yeah, she sure was. She could swim better, row better, climb better-she made a better boy than we did sometimes. And she was as plucky as a boy too!" Julian agreed. "I remember the time her father put a tower up on her island to do an experiment. She was furious of course! I thought she'd explode when we went over there for a picnic. Her father had found a hiding place we didn't know, and she was so annoyed. It was her island and he knew something she didn't! And then when he thought that there was someone on the island trying to steal his secrets and George had to leave Timmy there to protect him. It killed her, but she did it because she has a good heart George. But she actually made her father promise to take Timmy into the tower with him when he signaled every morning and night-which he had to do because Aunt Fanny was nervous about leaving him over there alone since he was so absent minded. And then one night Timmy wasn't there. George was more than prepared to go right over in her boat to see whether or not her beloved Timmy was all right. It turned out, though, that there was a passage under the sea from the island to the quarry, and Timmy came through it, and arrived back at Kirren cottage. He lead us through the passage to save Uncle Quentin, who was actually a prisoner on the island, with men trying to steal his secrets!"  
  
Anita smiled. "I could see George just jumping in the boat in the middle of the night and going over there to see whether Timmy was fine!"  
  
"There was another time she decided to go over to the island in the middle of the night!" Julian remembered. "Her mother was ill and taken to hospital, and we were stuck with the Sticks! A horrid family, but they were there to help Aunt Fanny. After she got taken to the hospital we asked Uncle Quentin whether they could go and we could be left by ourselves, but he wouldn't hear of it. Life with the Sticks was anything less than nice and it got worse and worse. And George kept telling us to go home, that she would be fine. We should have guessed she was up to something, but we didn't. And one night I heard noises, and it turned out George was on her way down to the beach. I followed her only to find she was on her way over to the island to stay with Timmy since she couldn't stand being in the house without her mother and with the Sticks. I convinced her it would be a lot nicer if we all went to the island. So we did, and then lo and behold who should turn up on the island but the Sticks themselves? We were shocked at this, and hid from them, wondering what on earth they would be doing over there. It turned out they were taking delivery of something- a young girl named Jane I think?- who had been kidnapped as her father was very rich. Well we rescued her, and locked up the Sticks son Edgar in the dungeons as an exchange. And then we went back to the mainland to let the police know about all the goings on!"  
  
"Mummy, can Teddy come?" James said, interrupting.  
  
"If we can fit him in sweetie." Anita replied.  
  
She went to help him with his packing, whilst Julian made a phone call to his brother to check that he and his wife would be ready when they arrived to pick them up.  
  
"We're all packed and ready!" Dick confirmed. "Or should I say Jess is all packed? She's done most of it, but you know what I'm like when it comes to packing!"  
  
"Yeah, only too well!" Julian replied. "Won't it be great to see George again? And Anne? She didn't come home last Uni hols because of the part- time job she got!"  
  
"Yeah, it's going to be great!" Dick said.  
  
"Anita and I were just talking about George, and the times she acted like a boy, like going off in the middle of the night when the Sticks were there!" Julian said with a laugh. "It's almost hard to imagine the same girl getting married!"  
  
Dick laughed too. "I know!" He said. "What about the times poor George got kidnapped?"  
  
"When that mad man, Red Towers, organised to have George kidnapped, and Aunt Fanny and Uncle Quentin were away?" Julian asked.  
  
"Yeah, and that was when we met Ragamuffin Jo. She turned out to be a good kid though we wouldn't have thought that when we first met her on the beach." Dick said.  
  
"And she sent you flying?" Julian added.  
  
"That too." Dick said. "And then after George got kidnapped and we were told to put the notebook out, and I hid to see who it was who was getting it, and it turned out to be Jo? And then she told us that she would take us to George, but she got dragged away. And we got lost in those woods, but Jo found us. And we found her father's caravan, but George was gone, leaving only a note on the wall saying Red Towers as a clue. Jo knew who he was though, and he scared her, but she still took us to his place, and we got caught up with the madman. And Jo actually rescued George, even though the two of them never, ever got along!"  
  
"And it wasn't the only time Jo helped rescue George? There was the time she got kidnapped again, and got taken to the fair, and Jo helped again and- "  
  
"Are you on the phone gossiping? We're ready to go!" Anita interrupted, and Julian turned around to see his wife and his son, with their bags ready.  
  
"I better go Dick, we're ready to come and get you now!" Julian said. 


	4. Anne takes a trip

Chapter Four.  
  
Anne takes a trip.  
  
"Are you sure everyone wont mind me coming to the wedding?" Anne's boyfriend, Sam, asked as they drove along.  
  
"Of course not, I showed you the invitation-it said Anne and friend, didn't it? Well you're my friend!"  
  
"I hope I'm more than your friend!" Sam replied, grinning.  
  
Anne smiled at him.  
  
"I'm looking forward to meeting the famous Julian, Dick and George though." Sam said.  
  
"Famous?" Anne repeated, curious.  
  
"Well you do talk about them a lot sweetie." He replied.  
  
"Do I?" Anne asked surprised. "I didn't realise!"  
  
"Well you do." Sam assured her. "Not that I'm complaining. They all sound like great people!"  
  
"They are!" Anne said. "Ju's always been the grown up one. He looked after us. Without him around I doubt our parents would have let us do half the things we did. And then Dick was the joker, but at the same time he could be serious too. George was the one with the temper, it got her into trouble sometimes, but even so it was so funny! I was the baby of the group!"  
  
"The baby hey?" Sam laughed. "Then you've grown up a lot now!"  
  
Anne laughed too. "I hope so." She said. "There was one time when we went on a biking trip and we met this boy called Richard, he was really strange! He was spoilt rotten and I think maybe he was jealous that we were able to just go off on a trip on our own without parents or bodyguards. He asked whether he could come a little way with us, and then stay at his Aunts, and we said he had to get permission. He never did, but we thought he did. When we thought we'd seen the last of him we hadn't- he had made up his mind to follow us! Anyway, it turned out his ex-bodyguard-Rocky his name was- was mad at him because he'd dobbed him in for something and he had been fired, and we got involved with the whole thing. Rocky was involved in something illegal of course! Rocky saw Dick and thought Dick was Richard, and they took him away. So we decided to rescue Dick, and Richard was acting like such a baby because Julian told him that he had to own up and tell them they'd taken Dick by mistake. We ended up getting locked in the grounds of this huge house where Dick had been taken when we tried to rescue him. It turned out that there was also an escaped convict in the place, as well as Rocky. Luckily for Richard before Rocky realised who he was he'd escaped in the boot of the car to get help from the police.."  
  
Sam smiled at Anne's slightly garbled account. He'd heard it before of course, but he was more than willing to hear it again. He loved seeing Anne so excited like she was when she told about her adventures!  
  
"Then there was the time you went on the hike?" He asked.  
  
"Right, when we had the long weekend off from school. We thought it would be just a nice, relaxing holiday. Of course adventures had a way of finding us, and even though I was sometimes scared during them I always liked them when they were over!"  
  
They both laughed.  
  
"I made the mistake of saying this once. Uncle Quentin and Aunt Fanny were looking after the daughter of one of his scientist friends since they were scared she was going to be kidnapped, and we were telling her about the adventures. George got all furious and told me that if that was the way I felt I'd be left out of the next one! Of course you can't do that!"  
  
"Not even when you made the pacts that the holiday was going to be an adventure free one?" Sam asked.  
  
"Not even then!" Anne replied with a grin. "I think we made an agreement like that when we went to the Cornish coast, and ended up getting involved with the Barnies, and the wreckers. That was scary; I hated to think of people who actually lured ships to the rocks in order to get their goods. Actually the same thing happened another place where we stayed in an actual lighthouse!.. But what was I talking about?"  
  
"The hike?" Sam reminded her.  
  
"Oh right. The hike. What happened was Timmy got injured going down a hole after rabbits, and so Julian and George were to take him to a man in the nearest town who everyone said was good with animals, and Dick and I were to go on to the place we were going to stay. We ended up getting lost, and staying in another farmhouse, where the son was a terribly mean person! And Dick slept in the barn, and in the middle of the night someone came and whispered at the window, and Dick got a piece of paper and a weird message, which was meant for someone else. So we decided to follow the map, and we camped in a burnt out house where there was a lake, and we got into a race with two other people-Maggie and Dick-to find the treasure. That was probably one of my favorite adventures-at least once it was over!" Anne laughed.  
  
"Sounds like you had a much more exciting childhood than I did." Sam observed.  
  
"Oh-look there's Kirren Bay, and that island; that's Kirren Island where we had so much fun, and so many adventures!" Anne said, as the bay came into view.  
  
"It doesn't look very adventurous." Sam said with a grin, observing the ruined castle.  
  
"Well it was!" Anne said. "But you know something Sam? I'm glad that we don't have adventures anymore. I am quite happy with my nice quiet life. Maybe the others might not agree with me, but that's the way I feel!" 


	5. The wedding

Chapter Five.  
  
The wedding.  
  
The sun was shining brightly when George went downstairs. She could smell the bacon and eggs, but her stomach had told her that there was no way she could eat anything. 'Why on earth would I be nervous about this?' She wondered. Up until now she hadn't been nervous at all, and now, all of a sudden, she had a million butterflies floating around in her stomach.  
  
"Good morning George darling, how did you sleep?" Her mother asked.  
  
She sighed, and dropped into a chair. "I didn't!"  
  
"I heard you up and down in the night." Her father said, looking over the top of his newspaper. "I would have thought Larry would have been the nervous one!"  
  
George grinned. "I hope he was too." She said. "Mother, do you know what time anyone's arriving?"  
  
"Julian, Anita, James, Dick and Jess were hoping to be here by tenish-they stayed overnight somewhere on the way. And Anne was thinking she would be here an hour or two before the wedding. She's sorry she couldn't get here earlier of course being the bridesmaid, but I would imagine her uni course would take a lot out of her!" Her mother replied. "And of course all the other guests will be at the church, but I have a feeling you don't mean them?"  
  
George laughed. "You know me too well mother."  
  
****  
  
"That's Ju's car!" George exclaimed after racing to the window. "They're here!"  
  
And she flew downstairs and out the front door. "JU! DICK!"  
  
A few minutes passed in a whirl of hugs and comments about how well they were looking, and even a "Where's the unlucky groom? Has he run to Spain?" from Dick, which earnt him a slap on the arm.  
  
"Oh gosh, we're being terribly rude-see what you boys do to me, I forget my manners completely-you better come in and see mother!" George said suddenly.  
  
Inside the scene was repeated, and there was the sound of a door slamming, and a moment later George's father appeared in the room. "How can I work with all this noise? What on earth is going on here? Anyone would think it's the end of the world!" He said angrily.  
  
"No just a wedding dear.aren't you going to say hello to the boys? And of course the girls?" His wife asked.  
  
"Of course, of course."  
  
After the chaos had settled down a bit George's mother and the cook, a nice old woman named Clara, served a huge lunch. Again George couldn't eat much, she was too nervous.  
  
"Never mind George old girl, I know how much you love pickled onions, so I'll just eat for you as well!" Dick offered.  
  
"Aren't you noble?" His brother said, and they all laughed.  
  
"Are you nervous?" Jessica asked George.  
  
"Petrified, and I never thought I would be..I wish four o'clock would hurry up so I can get on with it!" She admitted.  
  
"Who would ever have thought we would have seen the day when George was scared?" Dick asked.  
  
George glared at him. "I bet you were nervous when you got married." She said.  
  
Dick glanced at Jessica, and then shrugged. "Maybe..."  
  
"Everyone always is nervous when they get married, and any of you boys want to say differently we'll know your lying!" Anita replied, grinning at George, who grinned back. They'd gotten along well from the very start, even though they were nothing alike.  
  
"Tell us, did you bully Larry into marrying you?" Dick asked.  
  
"She just glared at him with that fierce glare of hers and he proposed on the spot!" Julian said.  
  
"Tease all you want, I don't care!" George said loftily, and the boys laughed.  
  
"You've sure mellowed old George!" Julian said.  
  
"That's what you think!" George replied. "I can be as fierce as ever-when I want to be!"  
  
"Do you remember how we all used to tease Anne about being a mouse, and then that time when we were staying up at that cottage and she showed her claws to Wilfred?" Dick asked.  
  
Jessica and Anita exchanged glances. "I think now is about the time we convince young James to have a nap!" Anita said, and they left with him.  
  
"Yes, she was so proud of herself wasn't she?" George grinned. "But if you ask me, I liked Anne just the way she was. The little homemaker!"  
  
"Yes, which makes me think George; have you learnt to cook yet?" Dick asked.  
  
"I can cook fine!" George said indignantly. "You're the one who used to always burn things, and you're-"  
  
"Children, children." Julian said laughing.  
  
"I told you I still could be fierce." George muttered at Dick, who grinned and helped himself to another pickled onion.  
  
"You know," He said looking at it thoughtfully. "Onions always taste better pickled. I vote we pickle more things; pickled tomatoes, pickled radishes, pickled cucumbers-"  
  
"I think your brain has been pickled, don't you George?" Julian interupted with a grin.  
  
"I think it was pickled a long time ago..how on earth are you a lawyer Dick?" George replied, thinking how nice this was. Sometimes she wished she could turn the clock back and go back to the when they were kids. Not just for the adventures, but for the fun times also.  
  
"Lawyers have long lunches." Dick replied.  
  
The other two laughed, and then Julian stopped. "Is that a car? Isn't it about time Anne was here?"  
  
The three raced outside, only to find Anne racing inside.  
  
Julian and Dick hugged their sister, and George hung back for a moment, until Anne turned to her and said "George, get over here and let me hug the bride!" And laughing George hurried over to hug her.  
  
"George, don't you think it's time you and Anne started getting ready?" George's mother asked from the doorway.  
  
"Aunt Fanny!" Anne cried, and she raced to hug her. "Where's Uncle Quentin?"  
  
"Would you believe in his study?" Her Aunt shook her head. "He'll never change!"  
  
***  
  
"George," her father said. "You look beautiful."  
  
George blinked back her tears. "Thanks Father."  
  
"You know how proud I am of the way you turned out, don't you?" He asked.  
  
"Thanks Father." She said again. It was rare for her father to show his emotions where she was concerned but she still knew he loved her very much.  
  
  
  
"Now, lets get this show on the road?" He offered her his arm, and she took it, and in time to the music the two entered the church, behind Anne.  
  
As she walked up the aisle George glanced at the friends and family gathered in the pews. There was Tinker-no monkey she noted gratefully, and there was Toby-grinning madly as usual. And there were her Aunt and Uncle looking proud. And Julian and Dick grinning at her, and then her mother, crying. She smiled at them all, and then turned her gaze up the aisle to Larry. He smiled at her, and as she reached him he whispered "You look so beautiful!"  
  
"You don't look too bad yourself." She whispered back.  
  
***  
  
"That was a pretty good ceremony, and the meal here was not too shabby either." Dick said later that night.  
  
"Always thinking with his stomach." Jessica said, fondly.  
  
"He always did and always will." Anne said, smiling at her brother.  
  
"It seems such a shame to have to leave here and go to our honeymoon." George said with a wry grin. She was enjoying the time catching up with her friends and family.  
  
"Here George," Toby said, leaning over and handing her a white rose. "This is for you."  
  
George eyed it suspiciously. She remembered the time Toby had gotten her with a trick flower before.  
  
"It's okay, it doesn't bite." Toby assured her, and she took it off him, and took a deep sniff of it, and then started to sneeze.  
  
"Pepper." Toby explained to the astonished group, who after a moment's pause all started laughing.  
  
"Ass!" Dick said. "And you're meant to be a captain in the airforce too!"  
  
"I am, and I'm a damn good flier!" Toby said. "But I can't help it if I like jokes can I?"  
  
George had finally stopped sneezing. "Toby, remind me to come to your wedding!" She said.  
  
"Wedding? Who needs a wife when they have a plane?" Toby asked.  
  
"You'll change your mind about that one day!" Anne assured him, and Sam took her hand under the table.  
  
"Maybe, maybe not-I say George! Look at your father!"  
  
They all turned to look. Tinker had George's father by the waist and was waltzing him around the room. He looked anything but happy about it, but unable to get away.  
  
"Good old father!" George said with a grin.  
  
Her mother who had been watching the dancing, now came over to whisper in her daughter's ear "It's probably about time to get changed into your going away outfit George."  
  
"Okay mother, what would I do without you here to organise me, and the wedding of course?" George replied with a grin.  
  
As she started to get up she turned to her cousins. "This has been great, it's like a five reunion, minus one of course, we should make a pact. We should make a pact to all meet once a year, wives and husbands, children and all."  
  
"We should!" Dick agreed.  
  
"Yes, we should." Anne said. "I'll be finished Uni next year!"  
  
"And we'll have another baby, but we could still sort something out!" Julian replied. 


End file.
